The Cleveland Browns have a new head coach. According to a report by Chris Mortensen of ESPN that was confirmed by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Cleveland has decided to stay in-house and promote offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens to the head coaching role, which opened up when the team fired Hue Jackson and named Gregg Williams the interim coach.
Freddie Kitchens will be named new Browns head coach later today, per sources.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 9, 2019
Source: The #Browns are hiring their own, tapping OC Freddie Kitchens as their new head coach. @mortreport on it first.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2019
Kitchens came to Cleveland for the 2018 season, and prior to the team’s decision to fire Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley that led to his promotion, served as the running backs coach and associate head coach. He began his coaching career after a decorated tenure as a quarterback at the University of Alabama, and has severed as a position coach for a number of teams in both the NFL and in college. With Kitchens serving as the team’s offensive coordinator, Cleveland won five of its last seven games to close out the season.
It’s a hire that makes a ton of sense for the Browns, who were reportedly down to Kitchens and Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski for the position. Kitchens did a great job orchestrating Cleveland’s offense once he took the reins from Haley and has a big supporter in rookie starting quarterback Baker Mayfield. Now, he’ll be tasked with trying to get the Browns back to the postseason for the first time since 2002.
